PM warns of ‘third force’

PRIME Minister Nahas Angula says the writers of anonymous letters, circulated via e-mail under the pseudonym ‘Ananias Nghifitikeko from Eenhana’, are a third force at work to destroy the ruling party.

Responding to the most recent Ananias letter, sent out on April 4, Angula said the “ghost writers” fabricated stories and Swapo members needed to be on guard and to distinguish truth from fabrications. “His goal is to cause confusion, suspicion and mistrust among vanguard cadres of the Swapo Party,” Angula said in a media statement issued yesterday.”Serious schisms visited [the] Swapo Party in similar fashion.Remember 1975 confusion and, the 1980s spy drama and similar events.They were all fuelled by untruth, rumours and fabrications.”The poison-pen letters are vitriolic, short on truth and indulge in an orgy of character assassination.They slander a number of well-known Swapo leaders and also target prominent figures in the media and officials in the private sector.In general, the anonymous letters are supportive of Swapo Party President Sam Nujoma and those seen as his faithful lieutenants, and viciously attack those perceived not to be in the ‘Nujoma camp’.The Swapo Party has condemned Nghifitikeko in the past through its Secretary General, Dr Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, and Nujoma.At some stage in 2005, the ruling party even announced that it had appointed a committee to investigate who the author was but the findings were never made public.”The writers and distributors of hate letters have …become a national security threat which must be nipped in the bud,” Nujoma said when he addressed the media at the party’s head office in Katutura in October 2005.Nujoma said his faith and confidence in the party’s leaders continued and therefore the letters needed to be condemned.He said there was a danger that the “unpatriotic and dangerous intentions” of the writers, if not stopped, could spread to the rest of Namibian society.He promised that the politburo would leave no stone unturned in its search to find the writers and to have them brought to book.According to Nujoma and the politburo, Nghifitikeko was a deceptive element who had infiltrated the party to work for the interests of “the enemy”.Nujoma argued that if Swapo was weakened, it could lead to instability, ethnic hostility and wars of secession.The anonymous e-mails rely heavily on terminology like “agents of imperialists”.The vicious tone is increasing in fervour ahead of the Swapo Party congress to be held later this year.”His goal is to cause confusion, suspicion and mistrust among vanguard cadres of the Swapo Party,” Angula said in a media statement issued yesterday.”Serious schisms visited [the] Swapo Party in similar fashion.Remember 1975 confusion and, the 1980s spy drama and similar events.They were all fuelled by untruth, rumours and fabrications.”The poison-pen letters are vitriolic, short on truth and indulge in an orgy of character assassination.They slander a number of well-known Swapo leaders and also target prominent figures in the media and officials in the private sector. In general, the anonymous letters are supportive of Swapo Party President Sam Nujoma and those seen as his faithful lieutenants, and viciously attack those perceived not to be in the ‘Nujoma camp’.The Swapo Party has condemned Nghifitikeko in the past through its Secretary General, Dr Ngarikutuke Tjiriange, and Nujoma.At some stage in 2005, the ruling party even announced that it had appointed a committee to investigate who the author was but the findings were never made public.”The writers and distributors of hate letters have …become a national security threat which must be nipped in the bud,” Nujoma said when he addressed the media at the party’s head office in Katutura in October 2005.Nujoma said his faith and confidence in the party’s leaders continued and therefore the letters needed to be condemned.He said there was a danger that the “unpatriotic and dangerous intentions” of the writers, if not stopped, could spread to the rest of Namibian society.He promised that the politburo would leave no stone unturned in its search to find the writers and to have them brought to book.According to Nujoma and the politburo, Nghifitikeko was a deceptive element who had infiltrated the party to work for the interests of “the enemy”.Nujoma argued that if Swapo was weakened, it could lead to instability, ethnic hostility and wars of secession.The anonymous e-mails rely heavily on terminology like “agents of imperialists”.The vicious tone is increasing in fervour ahead of the Swapo Party congress to be held later this year.